Irony
by EnjoytheSilence03
Summary: It was all so tragically ironic. The kind that makes you laugh until you cry-that makes you scream until you lose your voice. And looking back, that was my entire adventure in Forks in a nut shell. Only I hadn't been sharp enough to see it.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

><p>"I can't imagine that at one point in my life I actually loved the rain." I grumbled loudly, staring gloomily out the window.<p>

Back home I had loved stormy days and thunderstorms, looked forward to them even. But now, after spending the last four days in the pouring rain, having to deal with frizzy hair, and non-stop soggy tennis shoes, I decided that my past rain-loving-self was a complete moron.

I had decided a long time ago that this move was completely retarded. I was happy living in our tiny apartment on the outskirts of San Francisco with its windy, salty air and clear blue skies.

But, _no_, that just wasn't good enough for _mother._ She wanted a house. She wanted a white picket fenceand a backyard. She wanted a freakin' _dog. _

Don't even get me started on that one. We're apparently 'adopting' once we get 'settled in.' She claims it's supposed to be my present for being such a _good sport _about the move. Bullshit. I want a cat. I've always wanted a cat. But does it matter what I want? Pfft, of course not.

Seems like it should be the other way around, right? I should be the one wanting a nice spacious house, a room that isn't the size of a closet, a backyard I can play in with a cute, fluffy puppy.

But I simply _don't_, a concept, which is apparently lost on my mother.

See, I was happy before, yeah? I had my decorated room, I had my friends, I had my favorite hang outs, I had my routine; I had made peace with it all.

And she just had to take it all away from me to live out her own freakin' dreams.

Okay, so I'm aware of the fact that I'm being melodramatic and selfish, but it's simply not _fair_. Couldn't she wait, I don't know, _one more freakin' year_ until she goes off and decides to move to the middle of nowhere Washington? I could have been in college, having had been completely satisfied with my high school years and she could have been happy with her big spacious house, her adorable puppy and white picket fence.

Now, if only I hadn't felt so damn guilty when she broke down, sobbing on the kitchen floor.

It had been a pretty average, vague Friday-nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary. But I guess everything had been building steadily over the last few weeks, months even, and it had reached breaking point.

It all had begun with my stupid friend Michael and his steroid muscles and our poor excuse for a front door. The piece of wood had been on its last legs of life for two years then. The wood was peeling, holes were growing, and the hinges were literally decaying. My mother and I had been painfully aware of this fact. And, therefore, we had complained ourselves blue to the landlord to replace the stupid thing, but the little prick had always blown us off with the vague excuse that he had been just _too _busy that week and the promise that he would get right to it next week. The proverbial 'next week' had never come.

And, so, our pathetic front door and Michael's over-sized biceps had been set on a crash course for disaster.

It had been a nondescript Friday. We had been running late for some talent show event taking place at the coffee house down the street. We had been literally walking out the door when a glance in the hallway mirror showed me that I had only put eyeliner on one eye and that an emergency trip to the bathroom was needed to correct this immediately. And that is how Michael had ended up making it to the front door first and how my life as I had known it had ended forever.

All because of some eyeliner.

Michael with his too-large-muscles (he was a wrestler, as if that's any justification) had pulled open the pathetic, rotting piece of wood just a little too hard, successfully ripping it right off its hinges.

I had watched the entire thing happen in slow motion, and I swear I had seen my life flash before my eyes. For as that decaying hunk of door fell it had made contact with nearby, innocent, uninvolved coffee table. But this hadn't been just any old coffee table; this had been _mother's-sacred-off-limits-no-touchy-coffee-table-that-housed-grandmother's-antique-china-vase-that-mother-loved-more-than-her-own-daughter-and-required-at-all-times-three-feet-of-breathing-room. _

Guess what happened next.

CRASH. _Shatter. _

The door falling and breaking the love of my mother's life had been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back-or in this case, my mother's.

I don't think I have ever been so scared in my entire life as I had been when I had seen her simply collapse behind the kitchen table. As a daughter, I don't think it's ever a good thing to see your respective parent break down like that. I mean, they're supposed to be _our _rocks, _our_ lifelines. They comfort _us_; not the other way around.

But, after awkwardly shuffling Michael out the door, I had been forced to do just that in clumsiest way possible, feeling like her sobs would never stop and my personal hell would never end.

Just for the record, I have found a completely new respect for those people who are inherently good with saying just the right thing or that inspirational piece of comforting advice, or simply just knowing when to offer that hug or backrub of reassurance. Because in those long minutes spent on the floor of the kitchen of our colorless, dingy apartment, I had never felt so incompetent and utterly useless.

And, in a moment of weakness, I had agreed with everything my mother had said and had promised to do whatever I could to make life better for her, thinking along the lines of taking a second after-school job or selling some old books to raise money to fix the door. In all honesty, that promise has turned out to be one of the stupidest mistakes of my life.

"Alexis, look!"

I jerked my head up in time to catch sight of a rain-slicked highway sign.

Forks, Washington; population: 3,275.

Whoopdee-fucking-doo.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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><p>My mother squealed when she saw the house, actually <em>squealed. <em>

"Alexis, isn't it absolutely perfect?"

No, no its not.

"Yeah, sure mom," I mumbled, hauling my backpack out of the backseat of the car I had lived in for the last three days, scattering empty Doritos bags and Twix wrappers as I went.

"I can't believe we're finally here! This is actually happening!" my mother cried, leaving the car and I behind, as she dashed forward through the white gate up to the front door.

"Neither can I," I muttered aloud.

I stared gloomily at the house before me.

It looked like a doll house with its faded baby blue walls lined in cracked white paint. A classic white picket fence outlined the relatively spacious front yard.

It would have been my mother's dream house, except for the fact that it was practically falling apart at the seams. An odd pair of shutters on the second floor window looked to be hanging by only a single nail. The second step of the porch was horribly cracked, as if someone's foot had plunged right through it. Weeds covered what was probably once some sort of garden, and pieces of my mother's dream picket fence were missing in action.

I sensed a summer project in the making.

Though, in all honesty, all these things were noticed in passing. Despite all the forewarning and the searches on Google and the Weather Channel, I still simply couldn't get my mind to focus on anything except one striking characteristic: everything was wet. The wood of the house and the grass of the yard, _everything_ I laid eyes on seemed to be hyper-saturated with rain water. It was ridiculous and retarded. How could it rain so much in just one little, middle-of-nowhere town?

Though, I gloomily reflected, I had a feeling that that wasn't going to be changing anytime soon, either.

"Alexis, come on in! You have got to see this!"

I rolled my eyes at the excitement in her voice, but obediently shuffled past the gate, through the front yard, hopped over the broken front step and made my way through the threshold into our new house.

"Alexis Nicole Cunningham, don't you dare even _think_ of stepping onto that carpet with those filthy shoes and wet socks," my mother's disembodied voice rang out from somewhere to my left.

Its times like these that I find it not so hard to believe that mothers have some sixth sense that flares up whenever something clean is about to get dirty.

I rolled my eyes for what felt like the millionth time, while flinching as I peeled the soggy material off of my ice cold feet.

I padded numbly towards the room off to the left, lazily taking in the small living area that opened to the entry way of the house. Through the small door-less doorway, I found my mother dancing in circles about her new kitchen.

"Isn't it absolutely _wonderful_?" she laughed, "There's so much _space_!"

I cocked an eyebrow at her flailing, but was unable to keep the smile from my face at the sight of her candid happiness.

She had a point. It _was_ much more spacious than our last, pitiful excuse for a kitchen, which could barely fit the two of us in it at once.

A happy, though slightly faded, yellow with white counter tops and with lots of windows letting in natural light, the room really was a refreshing contrast to gray Forks.

"Come here," my mom reached out and grabbed my hands. We spun around the empty kitchen laughing hysterically and basically acting like a pair of four year olds, but it was one of those moments that was so sincerely blissful that neither of us gave a rat's ass.

After being overcome by dizziness, we collapsed on the kitchen floor, leaning on each other for support and gulping in breaths of air.

"You-still-have-to-see-your-room," my mom panted breathless.

"In-a-sec," I gasped back.

We stood shakily, steadying each other. My mother then clumsily dragged me back out to the living room and up the stairs to the second floor.

The small hallway contained only three doors, but my mom bypassed the first two and marched determinately towards the one to the far left, pulling me along.

I nearly had a heart attack.

The room was freakin' _huge_. Well, huge in comparison to my closet of a room back in San Francisco. But, seriously, it was _amazing_.

I actually _squealed_ when I caught sight of the queen sized mattress already in place and immediately launched myself at it.

Bouncing in pure euphoria, I caught sight of the huge window on the opposite side of the room, overlooking the backyard and the dark green border of the forest that lay just beyond its fence.

Okay, so this was _kinda_ cool.

"So, you like it?" My mom asked, smiling widely from the doorway.

I shrugged, feigning indifference. "I _suppose_ it will do."

She rolled her eyes and sent me a knowing grin. "Well, when you're done bouncing around like a toddler, come help me get the bags out of the car."

"Says the woman who was just twirling gracelessly around her new kitchen," I shot back, reluctantly hauling myself off of the heavenly large bed.

Maybe this wouldn't be _so _horrible after all.

I reached the front door only to find torrents of rain pouring down from the sky.

_As if. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

><p>What about <em>Jamaica Bay Blue<em>….? Or maybe _Gutsy Grape_ would be better…?

But that seems a little _too_ dark… What about _Novel Lilac_…? Or maybe darker _is_ good…?

I had been standing in front of a rainbow of paint samples in the store for almost an hour now, trying without success to pick a color for the walls of my room. I was officially in over my head.

Mom had sent me to go pick up another can of yellow paint for the kitchen from the hardware store a couple blocks away. The walk had been nice, the weather overcast but rain free. But since there was a sale, buy one get the second half off, I figured I may as well go ahead and grab the paint for my room too.

Problem was that I hadn't decided what color I wanted yet. Problem two was that my mother wasn't here to help me.

So I had been sitting there for the last forty-five minutes drowning in the hundreds of color choices. I really can't handle these kinds of permanent, life-altering decisions.

I mean, what if I chose the wrong color? What happens if it was too happy, too sad, too mellow, too _something_ that I don't want?

I want my mom.

"Hmm, the greens don't look so bad either…" I mumbled aloud, drifting towards the other end of the spectrum.

"No, you don't want that. There's already too much green around here already."

"Yeah, definitely not then." I had already returned to the purples and blues before my mind was able to catch up with reality. Either I was schizophrenic or someone had just talked to me. I whirled around to find the source of the voice.

Holy shit.

This guy was bloody _huge_!

Easily 6'4", tall and slender with clear-cut muscles and ridiculously high cheek bones, the guy was practically dripping 'male model' potential. His dark russet skin, black cropped hair, and warm brown eyes were a stark contrast to the rainbow of colors I had been staring at for a little less than an hour. Yet, his powerful and intimidating presence was ruined by the goofy, boyish grin he sported.

That probably could have had something to do with the fact my jaw was probably hanging somewhere around my knees.

"How long have you been there?" I asked, horrified, thinking back to the ridiculous arguments I had had with myself out loud, punctuated with flailing limbs.

He instantly shifted uncomfortably, a sheepish expression replacing his grin. "Eh, long enough to have heard the long list of reasons why _Iceberg _and _Blue Refrain_ are actually the same color and how the paint companies are simply bullshitting America by selling it under two different names…"

My face lit up like a tomato. "Oh."

"Yeah…" he responded uneasily, rubbing the back of his head shamefacedly.

A few moments of tense awkward silence past between us.

I finally broke it by letting out a highly attractive snort before laughing wholeheartedly. Mr. Male Model followed soon after. I realized that he was probably laughing _at _me, but, for reasons beyond me, I couldn't be bothered to care.

So, there we were, two complete strangers laughing it up before the rainbow.

"I'm gonna have to try to be a little more aware of my surroundings before I decide to rant publically, again," I said, wiping a fake tear from my eye and donning a friendly grin. Inside, though, I was tearing myself apart for my mistake, still reeling from the embarrassment of the entire moment. It didn't help the guy was gorgeous either.

"I don't know, it's not exactly fair to keep that kind of entertainment from the world," he responded, with a shy smile, probably uncertain how I would take such teasing.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll take that into consideration next time I think of restraining myself."

And, just like that, we fell back into an awkward silence, neither of us knowing where to go from there. I racked my brain for something to spit out.

Apparently Mr. Male Model is a bit quicker at this social networking stuff, for he blurted out, "So, you were having some issues with colors?"

I felt myself sink back into a puddle of hopelessness.

"Yeah, I'm trying to pick a color for my room, but there are just too many choices, you know?" I groaned. "I've been here for almost an hour now. Normally, I have my mom to help me make these kinds of choices, but, _no_, she wanted to take the day off."

He let out a snort as he moved to stand next to me, facing the wall of paint samples contemplatively.

"Maybe I can try and help, then?" He stated, but the underlying question was obvious, as he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, I'm far past the point of desperation, here. Any remote smidge of help would be beyond welcomed," I replied, trying to do my best to send him an encouraging smile.

"Right then, let's start out with the basics, what's your favorite color?" he grinned down at me.

"Blue" I responded immediately. It had been my favorite color since I was four. "But purple works too…but I want something happy. Something to sort of contrast the constant gloomy, gray weather," I explained, waving to the window nearby to emphasize my point.

"Blue and purple, huh?" he echoed, eyes scanning across the samples, "Let's see…"

I watched him curiously. Were all Native Americans this gorgeous? If so, its' really not fair to the rest of us mere mortals. Yeah, I was jealous of a six foot hunk of male muscle. Sue me.

I had always wanted to have that 'exotic' look about me, but I was overall pretty boring. I mean, I wasn't ugly; with some make up I could be considered cute. But there was certainly nothing exotic about me. I rocked more of the-girl-next-door look. I had brownish, reddish hair that wasn't straight, but wasn't curly either. My eyes were a hazel-y brown, and my nose and cheeks were covered with freckles. In other words, I was plain.

If people were cereal, I would be Whole Grain Total. Not necessarily horrible tasting but mildly healthy for you and always there for the soccer mom in need when she goes on that diet she will inevitably give up on. I mean, have you ever seen anyone get _excited _over a bowl of Total? Ever heard someone say 'girl, I am just _craving _some Total, right now!"

Didn't think so.

So that was me. The un-crave-able cereal.

"So, what's up with the massive painting project? Redecorating or something?" he asked, sending me a glance.

"Actually, my mom and I just moved here and we've trying to make our house actually livable. How'd you know?"

He let out a low chuckle, eyes drifting over me. "Well, the fact that you're covered in paint was a small hint."

I followed his gaze and looked down. I felt my cheeks burn.

I was so caught up with getting here before it started raining again, I had completely forgotten to at least peek into a mirror and check the state of my appearance. Aware of it now, I looked down to see yellow paint streaks all over my four sizes too large work shirt and athletic shorts. My arms and legs looked no different, and I couldn't even imagine what my face must look like.

I let a loud laugh at my own expense. "At least _I _am wearing clothes, Mr. I-run-around-in-the-freezing-rain-half-naked." The guy was wearing a freakin' wife beater! It was like fifty degrees outside! He wasn't even wearing shoes either! Humph. Whatever happened to 'no shirt, no shoes, no service?' Mr. Frederickson was letting his standards slip.

"Touché," he laughed back. "So, have you met any kids around here yet?"

I shifted embarrassedly. "Not really, my mom hasn't really given me a chance yet. Since we got here, it's been nothing but painting and lame attempts to salvage the yard and fencing. The highlight of my days has been getting to use the power tools unsupervised."

"How long have you been here?" he asked.

"Erm, almost three weeks now," I replied, uncertainly.

"And, you don't know _anyone_?"

"Hey, I know Mr. Frederickson really well," I defended, waving a hand towards the elderly man behind the register. He didn't he even look up at the sound of his name. Okay so I hadn't really had a _real_ conversation with Mr. Frederickson besides the normal 'your total is…'

"And, my mom has met a few neighbors…"

He stared at me, disbelieving. "How have you survived?"

I shifted, uncomfortably. "I was busy?" I winced at the lameness of my own comeback.

After a few beats of awkward silence, Mr. Male Model nodded his head determinedly and stretched up to his full height.

"Well, its settled then, I'll just have to introduce you to some people," he stated, as if it was already agreed upon, and walked confidently up to the counter. "Right after you finish painting your room, of course."

"Hold up- I never said anything about needing _help _finding friends-" I paused, watching him hand a paint sample to Mr. Frederickson, who disappeared into the back to retrieve the can.

"Wait, what are you doing?" I asked, bewildered.

"Getting the paint for your room," he replied nonchalantly.

I placed my hands on my hips and cocked an eyebrow. "And I don't suppose I deserve to have a say in the matter?"

He turned back to me with a cheeky grin. "Of course you _deserve_ to, problem is that if you actually got it, we'd be stuck here another hour, while you make a spreadsheet of the color's pros and cons."

My mouth dropped open in indignation. I was not _that_ indecisive! And I would not make a _spreadsheet_!

"It's just easier this way, trust me." He patted my head, like I was a dog or something before turning back to the counter.

I simply fumed. Stupid Mr. Male Model, trying to tell _me _what color _I _should paint _my _room!

A heavy weight was thrust into my arms, snapping me out of by mental tirade.

"There you go paint-girl, enjoy!"

I was too distracted to even register him leaving, as I started down dazed at the large can cradled in my arms.

_Impromptu Blue_

Huh, that was certainly ironic.

"Hey! Did you pick this just because of the name-" I began, but stopped realizing that Mr. Male Model had disappeared.

It struck me then that I had spent all that time talking to him and hadn't even bothered getting his name. I needed to become better at this friend-making thing. At this rate, I'll spend my summer alone holed up in the house, an official hermit.

I paid for the paint and traded goodbyes with Mr. Fredrickson. And, surprise, surprise, when I got outside, it had started raining again. Great. I get to walk four blocks with two heavy cans of paint in the pouring rain. Yay.

I mumbled curses, as I began trudging down the sidewalk, my shoes making horrible squishing noises. I didn't think I could hate this place anymore, but Forks, Washington just loved going above and beyond my expectations.

Though, I have to admit, the Mr.-Male-Model encounter had certainly been an interesting experience. Awkward and weird, but different at least.

I paused for a moment in the downpour.

Huh.

I had the urge to eat skittles.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

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><p>"Mom, Casper peed on the carpet again!"<p>

"Well, clean it up then!"

"But I did it last time!"

"Alexis Nicole, you wanted this puppy, you have to take care of it!"

"What? I never wanted a puppy! I wanted a cat! And cat's use litter boxes and don't pee everywhere!"

My mother sighed audibly from somewhere in the kitchen. I was not backing down on this one. For the past week I couldn't seem to step out of my room without walking in a puddle of pee. Sure, Casper was an adorable puff ball, but he was a complete pain in the ass that I had no patience for. I'm an only child! I shouldn't have to put up with this crap!

"Alexis, I'm tired of hearing this argument from you."

"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes. "I was planning on walking around for a bit since the rain let up, so I'll be back in a couple of hours." I was barely able to keep the irritation out of my voice.

"Hold up!" my mom called out, appearing from the kitchen. "I'll make a deal with you. You take Casper with you and out of my hair for a few hours and I'll clean up the mess, okay?"

"But _mom_, I wanted to explore." I whined back, conscious of the fact I sounded like a five year old.

"Well, then, Casper would be perfect for you. He can't seem to keep his nose out of anything…" she shot back, disappearing into the kitchen to get his leash. I contemplated bolting right then and there.

Casper whimpered for attention at my feet. I sent him a glare. The stupid thing was worse than an annoying younger sibling. Not that I'd really know.

"Now don't tire him out too much. Remember, he's still a puppy," my mom lectured, clipping on his leash.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I replied, still miffed. "I'll be back later."

"Be careful, Alexis! Don't wander too far into the woods either!" she called out to me from the front porch.

"Well, mom, at least if anything happens to me, I have Casper here to protect me," I called back. "Or at least to offer as a distraction, as I get away…"

Casper let out a tiny whimper.

"Oh, grow up, I was only joking," I told the dog, very matter-of-fact.

It didn't seem to faze him, as he trailed behind me, gloomily. I yanked on his leash to get him to catch up.

We had finally gotten the little monster about a week ago, and so far the thing had eaten most of my socks and underwear and had chewed a hole through my tennis shoes. My feet were now freezing because of it.

However, Mom had absolutely fallen in love with him. We had gotten to the shelter in Port Angeles to find that they had a fresh litter of border collie puppies. Fate had worked against me. I had been hanging on desperately to the chance that there would be no puppies, and I would be able to tempt my mother with adorable, furry kittens.

But _no, _we were ushered brightly into a pen full of eight clumsy puppies, only after being treated to complimentary hot chocolate and cookies. I secretly think it was a bribe to take one of these balls of energy off their hands. (They even tried to convince us to take a second one, but I firmly shut down that suggestion before my mother got hold of it, playing the 'we-can't-afford-it' card.)

Anyway, there was Casper, sitting there amid the squirming mass of wrestling puppies, a solid white fur ball, except for a black splotch on his head that actually made it seem as if he had a Ying and Yang sign on his face if you squinted hard enough. (I actually debated naming him that for a while, since _I_ was given the sacred privilege of giving the thing a name, but decided Casper was better.)

I glanced back at the puppy, trailing behind me. He was still sulking.

"You know, I was just kidding about wanting a cat more than you," I told him. He seemed to brighten a bit, staring up at me with his round puppy eyes. I winced. "Well, actually that's a lie, I did want a cat more than you," I corrected. "But that was before I knew you and realized how amazingly cool you are, when you're not eating my stuff…"

Why I was comforting a dog who was sulking over my apparent rejection of it was beyond me. In fact, can dogs even sulk?

I looked up to see that we had entered what one could describe as 'downtown' Forks, a sad sight. Surprisingly, no one was out, despite the fact for once in Forks history it had stopped raining.

"You're actually not that bad once I got used to you. Though, we do need to have a talk about you peeing everywhere; it's just simply bad manners, not to mention a pain in the ass for me.

"And this new obsession you have with chewing my underwear is just not going to fly anymore," I lectured him, sounding scarily like my mother. "And don't think that I didn't figure out that that hole in my favorite bra was your doing."

I glared down at Casper, who had the decency to look at least a little remotely sorry with his tail tucked between his legs, even if he couldn't understand what I was saying. Looking at him was a mistake though, for his watery puppy dog eyes stared up at me all pitiful like and my heart cracked just a bit.

I knelt down and rubbed at his fur. "I'm sorry little guy," I said, scratching his ears and letting him lick my face for once, something that I absolutely hate. "Its' okay-I'll try to stop leaving my underwear on the floor, and you'll try to restrain yourself a bit more, alright?"

"I imagine that would be pretty hard, considering this is your underwear we're talking about."

I whipped around, not surprised for some reason to find Mr. Male Model standing there. He seemed to have made a habit of approaching me when I talked to myself.

"Excuse me, but we're having a private conversation here," I snapped, barely sparing him a glance before focusing on Casper.

He must have been taken back by it, for he floundered for a second, clearly not sure if I was joking or seriously blowing him off.

"Uh…"

I took off down the sidewalk before he could regain his wits. It was a bit cowardly of me, I admit, but I really just wanted to spend the day all by myself. Was that really too much to ask? Just a couple of hours?

"Hey, wait up, paint-girl!"

Apparently so.

I sent him an irritated glance, as he fell in stride next to me.

"Woah, what crawled up your ass and died?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

I huffed and rolled my eyes.

"The fact the world didn't get the memo that today was supposed to be a 'me' day," I grumbled, childishly.

He let out a hearty bark of a laugh, the kind you couldn't help but join in on. I tried to resist and maintain my weak glare and silly anger, but failed miserably.

I settled for simply shoving him, but instead of throwing him off balance, I simply bounced off and hit a street sign.

Ouch. That was going to bruise.

"What the hell are you made of? Concrete?" I cried, rubbing my sore shoulder.

"I like to work out," he explained, a bit sheepishly.

"Or pop steroids," I shot back.

He glared at me. "I know it's hard to believe, but this body is all me in all my natural glory." He struck a pose, flexing his muscles.

I choked out a laugh, "Yeah, you wish, steroid man."

"I do not take steroids," he retorted, crossing his arms and pouting like a three year old. The pose ironically made his muscles even more prominent.

I rolled my eyes; he was beginning to resemble Casper. Speaking of the little guy, I looked around to find him huddled behind my legs as far away from Steroid Man as possible.

"What's wrong with you Casper?" I asked, as I tried to yank him from behind my legs. If he kept this up, I was going to step on him, and the last thing I need was to come home with Casper and a broken paw. My mom would absolutely flip if I hurt her 'baby'.

Mr. Male Model peered around me down at the white fur ball, who seemed to cower even more. "Maybe he doesn't like strangers?"

"Hmm, I suppose," I trailed off. I thought back to Casper's encounter with Mr. Frederickson. He had been all over that poor old man, who had immediately fallen in love with his "youthful enthusiasm". Maybe it was just the fact Mr. Male Model was freakin' _huge. _If I was Casper's size, I would be scared shitless of him too.

A honk startled me out of musings. I turned to see a familiar dark blue Dodge.

"Oh god," I mumbled, picking up my pace. I officially hated my life.

"Um, paint-girl?" he asked, keeping up with my fast stride with irritating ease. "Do you know that woman? Cause she's waving at us…" He glanced back behind us. "And it looks like she's having an issue with the car window…"

"Nope, never seen her before in my life," I rushed out, on the verge of full out sprinting around the corner of the next block.

Just when salvation was imminent, a shrill voice called out, "Alexis Nicole, don't you pretend you didn't see me!"

I came to a reluctant halt, looking up at the heavens and cursing whatever lay beyond the gray clouds. Life hates me.

I looked past bewildered Steroid Man to the rusty Dodge that pulled up beside us.

"Oh, I didn't see you there mom," I said, pouring innocent surprise into my voice. Too bad my mom has known me long enough to see through my incredible acting skills.

"Don't even go there," she threatened, but then abruptly changed her tone. "I brought you your inhaler; you always seem to forget it."

I turned red, marching over to the car with my head ducked. "That's because I never need it!" I hissed back. My asthma was a touchy issue. I was convinced I didn't need an inhaler to control it; I could handle it on my own with some simple self-control and breathing exercises. I was not some cripple dependent on a metal tube.

My mother sent me a dry look. "Well, it's better to be safe than sorry," she shot back, shoving the Ziploc bag into my hands. There was no compromising with my mother when it came to my health.

"Fine," I snapped, stuffing the bag into my coat pocket and marching away from the car.

"Oh, Alexis," she called out after me in a sickly sweet voice.

"What?" I snapped, whipping around.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" she asked with fake innocence.

Friend? Who was she talking about-

Oh. Mr. Male Model. Right.

I had totally forgotten about him. I looked over to my side to see him standing on the sidewalk looking a little more than awkward.

"Oh, um, well he's not really my friend, exactly," I rambled, slurring my words together, "I don't even really know his na-"

I was completely ignored, as Mr. Male Model suddenly found some balls and marched right up to the car and stuck out a hand. "I'm Embry, Embry Call."

Woah, Mr. Male Model has a name.

"Oh, I'm Diane Cunningham, Alexis' mother, obviously," my mother replied and eagerly shook his hand, delighted at his 'gentlemanly' act.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am." Oh, great, we have a suck up on our hands. I burned holes into the back of his head.

"So, how did you meet my Alexis?"

Steroid M-I mean Embry-sent me a sly glance. I flushed scarlet. This was not happening. My mother was not interrogating some random guy, whose name I didn't even know until like thirty seconds ago, in the middle of the flippin' street in downtown Forks!

"Oh, well, I actually helped her pick out the color of her room," he replied easily, sending me another glance. I officially hate Embry Call.

"Oh, really?" my mother replied with honeyed curiosity. "She never said anything about _that_, though that certainly explains why she was gone for only an hour and not four."

My mother leered at me with beady eyes that made it clear that there was going to be hell to pay for leaving out that tidbit of information. One does not simply meet a PMM, a potential-male-model, and not tell their mother; it was one of those unspoken mother-daughter commandments that I had clearly broken.

"That was probably because I kind of left without warning. I had a family emergency and had to bolt out of Mr. Frederickson's without really, um, introducing myself," he explained, sheepishly.

My mom's leer softened at his reply. "Oh, I hope it was nothing too serious." I let out a sigh, glad she was distracted.

"Oh, no, nothing serious, at all." He sent her a broad, reassuring smile, one that was sure to dazzle. I wondered if he was even aware of the effect he had on people with that kind of smile.

"That's good to hear. So, just exactly how old are you, Embry?"

Oh god, I should have seen that one coming. I didn't think my face could possibly get any redder.

"Seventeen, ma'am." He stated proudly, sending a smug look at my astonished face. He was only seventeen? Bloody hell, he could have easily passed for twenty-five!

"Really? You are certainly, um, _large_ for your age," my mother's voice was filled with shock, a mirror of my astonished face.

"I get that a lot," Embry replied, rubbing his neck. "I can hand over my birth certificate if you would like proof, though," he joked.

"That's hardly necessarily," my mother laughed with him. I think I might be sick; Embry was kissing way _too_ much ass. "So, do you go to school here at Forks?"

I groaned. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. My mom was on full investigation mode. I could practically see the wheels in her head spinning furiously.

"Actually, no, I live down on the reservation and go to school there."

"Oh, that should have been obvious! You have those gorgeous Quileute features," she replied, gushingly with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. Surprisingly, Embry's face flushed. Finally, I wasn't the only one.

"Mom, stop flirting with the poor kid," I told my mother, finally gathering the courage to come up to the side of the car.

"I was not flirting, Alexis Nicole, simply stating the obvious," she told me, a matter-of-fact.

Embry's flush darkened, and I sent him a smug smirk, which I immediately regretted when he returned it with one of his own. He turned back to my mom with a sly glint in his eyes.

"Oh, Mrs. Cunningham, it really is lucky that you happened to stop by because I wanted to ask permission to take Alexis down to La Push today to meet a few friends of mine."

What? When the hell did I agree to that?

"That would be wonderful, wouldn't it, Alexis?" My mother sent me a sickly sweet smile at my obvious reluctance. So, this was going to be her revenge, eh?

Like hell I was going to let her win this one.

"Actually, remember, _mother,_ you said you needed me to be home to help you with the trim in the living room? Guess we'll have to do it some other time, Embry." I declared, with an overly apologetic smile, doing a mental victory dance.

"We can do that anytime, honey. I don't want the work on the house to interfere with you making friends," my mother countered with her own triumphant smile. "Go on and have fun. Embry, I insist you take her out of Forks and force her to have a good time and be social for once."

"I am _not_ socially retarded and am perfectly capable of making friends on my own!" I cried out, but was promptly ignored.

"Thanks, Mrs. Cunningham. I'll have her home before dark."

"Uh, hello, I haven't agreed to anything!"

"Anytime before ten is fine with me. Have fun!" my mom said joyfully, as she struggled to roll up the window.

She waved spastically at us before putting the car into gear and continuing along the street and round the corner.

"What a nice lady." Embry declared, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

I regained my wits quick enough to pick my jaw off the ground and snap back.

"Oh, go to hell, Steroid Boy."

* * *

><p>"I am never, <em>ever<em> driving _anywhere_ with you again!" I declared, stumbling out of his old truck, disoriented and queasy.

"Hey, I'm not _that_ bad of a driver," he responded, sounding insulted.

"Embry, you took that turn at freakin' sixty-miles-per-hour!" I shot back, gently placing a whimpering Casper onto solid ground.

"It was not sixty," he argued. "It was more like fifty-five." He brushed me off and headed towards a small trail through the trees.

"Oh, like that's _so_ much better," I bit back, sarcastically, jogging to catch up with him. I had to yank a bit on Casper's leash. He still didn't like being around Embry.

"Where are we going anyway?" I asked, trying to figure out what he could possibly want to show me in the middle of the woods.

"You'll see," he shot back over his shoulder, along with a taunting smirk.

I groaned. I hated surprises.

We walked for a bit in a comfortable silence.

I supposed being kidnapped hadn't been _so _bad. Embry actually wasn't that bad of a guy to hang out with. He had a surprisingly good sense of humor and a laid back personality that sucked out all the awkwardness that a car ride with two strangers should normally have. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was still a little weird. I had only known his name for a total of five minutes before getting in a car with him and letting him take me wherever. There was a serious chance that he was a serial killer and that I would be dead before dark. But that was the pessimistic side of me speaking. The optimist in me focused on the fact that no one that gorgeous would ever be a serial killer.

Either way, serial killer or not, I had had far more awkward experiences than the car ride with him.

And maybe the fact that I hadn't talked to anyone my age in person for over three weeks helped keep conversation going. To be honest, I had to sort of restrain myself. I didn't want to come off _too_ desperate for someone to talk to or, really, just friends in general. Cause in reality I was really desperate. For friends, I mean.

I was suddenly jerked out of my thoughts.

"We're here!" Embry announced with a large sweep of his arms.

Whoa, this definitely wasn't what I had expected.

We had emerged from the tree line onto a large sandy beach. The Pacific stretched out before us, its waves foaming and gray, making it almost impossible to tell where the murky ocean stopped and the gray sky began.

But, despite the lack of color, it was absolutely breathtaking.

"Just let me know when you're finished ogling First Beach," a tauntingly smug voice broke into my 'Pocahontas' moment.

I would have sent him a glare, but I refused to tear my eyes away from the scenery. Instead, I weakly swatted at his general direction.

"Was that supposed to actually hit me, because, if so, it was really sad," he teased, trying to shift my attention.

I sent him an exasperated look. "First Beach, huh?"

"Yup," he responded excitedly, grabbing onto my arm and dragging me along. He had a bounce in his step that reminded me of an excited child.

As we walked closer to the water, I noticed that the beach was easily a mile wide strip of sand. I was happily surprised. I had always figured beaches up here would be rocky and unwelcoming, but I shouldn't be so shocked. So far I had been wrong about a lot of things about Washington.

"Weren't you supposed to introduce me to some sketchy friends of yours?" I asked, randomly recalling his request to my mom.

He stiffened a little before rubbing his neck, a habit I noticed he had when he was uncomfortable.

"Well, yeah, but lately they've been a little busy…" he trailed off.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

"Each of them doing their own thing, right?" I said as offhandedly as possible.

"Yeah!" he replied, enthusiastically.

"And, you're just left with nothing to do and no one to hang out with?"

"Exactly!" he continued, eyes blazing, "Quil spends all his time baby-sitting Claire, Seth spends all his time at home helping out his mom, and god only knows where Jacob is now, probably clear across Canada…" he ranted, waving his arms.

"And so you've resorted to making friends with the new girl in town who has no friends, and, therefore, has no business rejecting your forced friendship?"

"Right-" He froze.

He turned slowly, a sheepish expression on his face.

He stumbled over his rushed words, "look-it's, well, it's not exactly like that-"

I cut him off with a raised hand.

He shuffled his feet, looking like a shamefaced little boy about to be scolded by his mother.

"Embry, it's okay. I'm not going to hold it against you, despite the fact I feel a bit used." I shushed him, when he looked as if he was going to object. "As long as you realize I'm using you too."

He looked a bit confused, and I turned towards the beach to avoid his gaze, suddenly self-conscious. "I mean, I just moved here, and I would rather not spend the rest of the summer with just my mom and Casper to hang out with." I kept my eyes glued to the gray waves.

"So, we're even, okay? We're both using each other for equally selfish reasons." I finished, wondering if I had gone a little too far in my analysis. This entire situation was getting a little too serious for my liking.

The silence stretched on for awhile, and I began to get nervous.

Out of nowhere, I got the wind knocked out of me. It felt as though I had just collided with a boiling rock. I dropped Casper's leash in shock and vaguely watched as he darted away and began to bark his pathetic little puppy yap.

And, just as suddenly, my feet left the ground, and the world began spinning.

"Embry Call! You put me down this instant!" I choked out between laughs and gasps or air.

The world didn't stop tilting, even as I felt my feet sink into the soft sand. I griped onto his arm to steady myself.

"That-was-not-funny," I wheezed.

He let out a hearty laugh that shook his entire body. "Yeah it was. You're just a stick in the mud," he replied cheekily.

I shoved away from him, a bad decision as I stumbled into the sand. "I am not a stick in the mud," I defended, weakly.

"Well, you certainly look like one now," he shot back, walking over. Fiery hot hands gripped just under my arms, and I was hoisted to my feet.

"Are you feeling okay, Embry?" I asked, thinking of how hot his body had felt.

"Um, yeah, why?" He looked bewildered.

"You just felt really hot, like you had a fever or something…" I trailed off, thinking that maybe I was just the one who was abnormally cold.

"Oh, that," he tensed for a moment, before continuing dismissively, "I just run a bit warmer than most. It's a Quileute thing."

"Oh," I replied, nodding, stupidly buying the obvious lie.

"So," he began, sending me a hopeful look out of the corner of his eye. "Wanna hang out tomorrow?"

"Sure," I replied with a grin. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

* * *

><p>"Bye Embry!" I called out from the front porch, sending him a short wave, before disappearing behind the front door.<p>

I unhooked Casper's leash, and the little fur ball darted off into the kitchen, probably in search of food. I stayed behind, tugging off my shoes and socks, which had gotten soaked when Embry and I had wandered a little too close to water.

"Alexis, is that you?" My mom called out from somewhere in the kitchen.

"No, mom, it's the ghost that haunts this ridiculous doll house," I answered, sarcastically.

"Well, if you're a ghost, than I suppose you wouldn't mind if I gave my daughter's portion of macaroni and cheese to Casper, would you?"

The irony of that statement escaped me, as I dashed into the kitchen. "Wait, mom, don't do it!"

I flushed at my mother's wide smirk and the sight of my plate of delicious homemade mac & cheese, sitting untouched on the table.

I shuffled quickly over to the food, before she had the chance to snatch it away.

"So, how was your day with this Embry guy?" my mom asked offhandedly with her back to me, her attention apparently on the soapy dishes in the sink.

But I knew my mother better than that. Diane Cunningham was the queen of subtle, two-faced conversations.

"It was cool," I responded, as flippantly as possible with a mouth full of cheesy goodness.

"And what about his friends?"

"Oh, we never got to meet them. They were all busy."

"Really?" I knew from the tone of her voice that something was up. "So you spent the _whole_ day alone with him?"

"Yeah, I guess," I replied, as dismissively as possible. I ducked my head and stared intensely down at my food in an attempt to avoid my mother's inquisitive gaze.

She let out a suspicious hum.

"He's a good looking boy, isn't he?"

I nodded without thinking, and immediately regretted it after seeing my mother's sharp look.

"Uh- I mean, he's decent looking, I guess," I tried to recover.

"You may be inexperienced Alexis, but you are not blind."

Ouch. That hit a nerve.

"Okay, fine, he's gorgeous! Happy?" I shouted back, grumpily shoveling a spoonful of noodles into my mouth.

"Ecstatic," my mother replied bubbly. She slid into the chair across from mine and stared at me expectantly.

"What?" I asked a little perturbed.

"Well, tell me about him," she prompted with a hand wave.

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, I just met the guy, I don't know anything."

"Alexis Nicole, you just spent the entire day with the boy, and you can't tell me a single thing about him? If you weren't talking, what _were_ you two doing?" She sent me a sly smile, knowing just how to provoke me.

I groaned. "Okay, okay, give me a second to think."

I mentally went through our day. We had spent practically the entire time at the beach, messing around. A good hour had been wasted trying to teach Casper how to play fetch, a sad thing really. It had reached the point that he would go pick up the thrown stick; however, he had issues with the concept of bring it back. He had either refused to come back or had simply dropped the stick and had come running back empty-handed. We decided he was a lost cause.

We had spent the rest of the time wandering up and down the crescent shaped beach simply talking for a lack of anything better to do.

Embry had been surprisingly interested in my life in the big city, having lived in this tiny little town his entire life. I had told him of my huge high school, my friends, my part time job at the coffee shop down the street, and how I had used to rollerblade to school. My job, in particular, had brought about a long round of laughs. The shop was a huge hangout for teens and college students, which had resulted in some pretty hilarious stories of me and my fellow co-workers being hit on in a number of creative ways.

My mother tapped the table in impatience. My gaze focused back on her expectant face.

"Well, I figured out why he was so interested in hanging out with me," I told her, hoping to put an end to all her insinuations.

"Oh?" she made a vain effort to keep the curiosity out of her voice.

"Yeah, apparently all his friends have kind of been into their own thing lately and have basically ditched him. And then there's that one in Canada…" I trailed off, making a note to ask Embry to elaborate later. "So, basically, he's kind of desperate for someone, anyone, to hang out with."

"Oh," her face dropped, and I resisted the urge to stick my tongue at her.

Alexis: 1

Diane: 0

"But that means you're going to be seeing a lot more of each other then, right?" she recovered with a happy, smug grin.

"Yeah, he's stopping by tomorrow around ten. We're planning on heading into Port Angeles. He offered to show me around. "

"Oh, what a great idea!" my mom responded, enthusiastically. "That's where I start work in two weeks, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

I had completely forgotten.

Mom had gotten a job working for ACTI, a company which manufactures composite aircraft parts for lots of different companies, including the US Air Force. She might not look it, but mom was a wicked aeronautics engineer. She had been offered some high up, well-paid positions, but had declined them all. She had always claimed she rather have time to eat dinner with me and watch my soccer games than have enough money to buy a nicer car or house. I personally think it was just a lack of ambition on her part, but what do I know.

"It's has a lot of cute shops, so don't forget your wallet. You're going to want to buy something down there," she said, swiping up my plate just as I was able to scoop the last bit of noodles into my mouth.

"I doubt Embry would appreciate me turning this little voyage into an 'Alexis-centered' shopping trip."

"Well, if what you've told me is true, I doubt he particularly cares what you two do, as long as you do something." She sent me another sly look.

Okay, this was getting old real fast.

I jumped up, threw my glass and fork in the sink, and dashed out of the kitchen, fed up with the never ending innuendos my mother had been pulling out of her ass all night. "I'm going to take a shower! Wake me up tomorrow before nine, please!" I shouted down the stairs.

I moved away from the railing after hearing her quiet hum of acknowledgement.

I shuffled lazily into my room, the long day finally catching up with me. I found Casper sleeping in a ball on my bed. Looks like I wasn't the only one exhausted with everything that happened today. Poor guy must be absolutely worn out between avoiding Embry and his miserable experience at fetch.

I let my gaze drift over what had become of my room. The color Embry had picked had actually worked out perfectly, though I would never admit it to him. The blue was bright and warm, giving the room a shocking, yet refreshing quality. My bright royal purple bedspread and matching curtains added even more color to the room. I loved it. It had character. And it was a brilliant contrast to everything Forks seemed to stand for with all its gray and green.

I glanced over at the large window for a moment. At this time of night, the deep green of the forest turned an eerily dark black, a stark contrast to the white, ghostly outline of the backyard fence. The shadows moving around out there played with my mind.

I ripped my eyes away and shut the curtains. Picking up my clothes, I wandered back out into the hallway and into the bathroom.

Washing my hair, I tried to focus on how much fun tomorrow was going to be, but I couldn't stop thinking about that stretch of woods.

I could have sworn I saw something shift behind the tree line.

* * *

><p><strong>I just wanna thanks to McMar for leaving an awesome review!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Special thanks to Ani and luna moon18 for their awesome reviews!  
><strong>

**Chapter 5**

* * *

><p>I awoke disoriented to the sound of Casper's whiny bark and the incessant ringing of the door bell.<p>

"What the hell…?" I muttered, irritated. I tried to smother my head under a pillow.

I was _not_ a morning person.

Neither the barking nor the ringing ceased. Where the hell was my mom? When it was apparent the noise was not going to stop anytime soon, I dragged myself out of bed, taking the comforter with me.

I looked at my window and could barely detect any light shining through the break in the curtains. Who the hell was at our house this early in the morning?

I stumbled my way downstairs, the purple comforter wrapped around my shoulders like a cape and trailing behind me.

Casper was at the door, barking in sync to the sound of the doorbell.

"Casper, shut up, will you?" I asked, pushing him out of the way with my foot. He obligingly darted behind my legs and under the comforter.

I unhooked the golden chain and twisted the dead bolt, fully prepared to chew out whoever stood on the other side of the door.

"What the hell-" I froze, looking down to find a seated Embry, collapsed against the side of my house, completely drenched.

He sent me an annoyed look. "About time! I've been sitting here for half an hour!"

I was completely lost. "What are you doing here?"

He gave me another dirty look. "Did you forget? We were supposed to go to Port Angeles today!"

"Yeah, but that isn't until ten," I snapped back.

"Um, Alexis, I hate to burst your bubble, but its ten forty-five."

I froze. "What?"

"It's ten forty-five," he repeated, slowly.

"But-but it's so dark!" I countered, childishly.

He raised a dark eyebrow. "That's because it's pouring."

I looked out beyond the porch to find the skies a dark gray and rain drops bouncing off the pavement. Well, that explained why the guy was soaked.

"Right…" I replied, dumbly. My brain was still not fully awake yet.

I let the comforter slip a little, as a gust of wet wind blew in through the door. I realized at that moment I was still in my pajamas. Glancing at Embry, I found out that he had just noticed it too.

In a flash, I slammed the front door closed, face scarlet.

See, in our old apartment, we didn't have air conditioning. So, my pajamas had always consisted of a sports bra and boxers because I insisted on sleeping with heaps of blankets. And, basically, I hadn't quite broken the habit, which meant Embry had just gotten an eye full.

I banged my head against the door at my own stupidity.

"Alexis?" Embry called out over the noise of the rain. "Um, can I come in? It's kind of still raining out here, and I'm really getting wet, and I've been out here awhile and-"

I cut him off when I yanked open the door an inch.

"Look, um, give me a ten second head start to make it up to my room and then let yourself in, okay?" I avoided looking at his face at all costs.

At his sound of agreement, I dashed up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and slammed the door to my room shut. I sat there breathing heavily for awhile.

Oh my god, how more awkward could that have gotten?

And where the hell was my mother when I actually needed an interceptor?

Remembering that Embry was waiting downstairs for me, I rushed into my closet and threw on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved something. I yanked a hooded sweatshirt over my head and then rushed around trying to collect my cell phone and other necessities, stuffing them into a random purse lying on the ground.

I paused when I spotted a piece of paper sitting innocently under my wallet.

_Honey,_

_I'm heading over to a neighbor's this morning. I put forty dollars in your wallet, but you have your own debit card as well. I hope you were able to wake up before Embry got here. Have fun! _

_Lots of love, _

_Your mother _

I crumpled the paper in my hand. She had somehow planned this, I just knew it. I threw the piece of paper into the trash, letting out a snarl.

Sometimes my mother can really be obnoxious.

I stomped down the stairs, cursing her silently.

A clearing of a throat caused me to look up to find a still red-faced Embry holding my bright purple comforter and dripping all over the entryway.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Embry! Let me get you a towel or something…" I dumped my stuff and dashed back up the stairs and into the bathroom. I grabbed a couple of towels and then stumbled my way back down.

"Here, I'll trade you," I said, holding out the pile and reaching for my comforter. I had yet to look him in the eyes.

I dumped the heavy comforter onto the couch before turning back to Embry. As he was preoccupied with using a towel to dry his hair, I let myself actually take in his appearance and later regretted I had.

The boy really was gorgeous. His black t-shirt stuck to him like a second skin, revealing what had to be a six pack. His cut-off jeans were darkened by the rain and his tennis shoes looked waterlogged. I flushed with guilt. Poor guy had been sitting outside my house in the rain for thirty minutes. I was surprised he even bothered staying so long; I knew I would have definitely given up a long time ago and just gone home.

He pulled the towel off his head, and I nearly died. His brown eyes cracked open to see me clutching my stomach and gasping for breath.

"Your-hair" I choked out.

He self-consciously ran a hand threw his hair, succeeding in only making the ends stand up in all sorts of directions.

Still chuckling, I padded over to him and yanked on his arm. He obligingly bent over, and I attempted to smooth out the wet hair.

"There, all better," I mockingly cooed.

"Thanks, mom," he replied sarcastically, straightening.

It was then I realized how closer we were. So close, I could feel the heat radiating off of him.

I ruined the moment by blurting out, "Are you sure you're not sick or something?"

He hurriedly backed away from me, muttering, "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. I told you it was a Quileute thing…"

"Whatever you say…" I replied, skeptically.

"Right, whatever _I _say." He sent me a cheeky grin.

I rolled my eyes. "So are we still heading to Port Angeles?" I asked, drifting into the kitchen.

"Eh, well I guess we could, though it might not be the best idea considering the weather…" he trailed off, looking uncertainly out the window.

"You must be crazy to think I would get within six feet of you and a car in this kind of weather," I declared, reaching for the box of Cocoa Puffs above the fridge.

I felt a rush of heat behind me, and then suddenly the box was gone.

I turned jumping for it. "That's not fair! Unjust advantage! Foul!" I cried leaping vainly at Embry's outstretched arm.

"All's fair in love and war," he mocked.

I made a motion, as if to knee him in the groin, and he immediately curled in on himself. With quick reflexes, I tore the box out of his grip.

"Hey! That was cheating!" he whined.

I stuck my tongue at him as I got out a bowl. "What was it you just said, 'all's far in war'?" I let out a laugh.

Suddenly, his intense heat was behind me again. "You forgot about love," he breathed into my ear.

I completely froze.

And just like that, the Cocoa Puffs were plucked from my hands, and Embry fled laughing into the living room.

"Embry Call! You better bloody run 'cause when I catch you, there will be hell to pay!" I cried, picking up the nearest weapon and dashing after him.

I found him crouching triumphantly behind the couch.

"You're going to regret messing with my Cocoa Puffs," I hissed.

"I'm shivering in my little booties," he mocked.

We began to do a weird dance around the couch. He faked left, I mimicked; he feinted right, I followed. This continued for awhile until my stomach growled and my patience ran thin.

"That's it!" I cried and threw whatever I had grabbed earlier at his head. He ducked just in time and turned to see the utensil bounce harmlessly off the wall.

"Did you just throw a spoon at my head-"

"HA!" I let loose a war cry and leaped over the couch towards the Cocoa Puffs. Sadly, Embry moved just before I was able to grab them, and we collided with a loud thud. However, a collision implies that both parties were equally affected, and that just wasn't the case at all.

"Oww," I moaned. It felt like I had just hit a concrete wall. "Wat de blady 'ell are ew mad av?" I cried, clutching my throbbing nose. He didn't even budge! I practically _bounced_ off of him!

I sunk to the floor in pain, and Embry followed, trying to pry my hands away from my face.

"I'm so, so sorry, Alexis. Here, let me see," he told me, pulling on my hands. He was nothing but a brown blur to me as my eyes watered uncontrollably.

"Ow, ow, ow," I repeated over and over, as he gently cradled my face, inspecting the damage.

"It doesn't look broken, just really swollen, but I'm no doctor," he told me, sounding more and more guilty. "We should take you to the hospital."

"Ew, gawd neu!" I cried in protest, shaking my head furiously, only to cry out in pain as the movement caused needles to shoot through my head.

"Well, we at least need to take you to someone who can take a look at it…" he muttered absentmindedly brushing a curl back from my forehead.

"Neu! Neu! Ahm phen!" I cried, trying to jerk away from his warm hands.

"Alexis, you are not fine, you're bleeding," he told me, holding me steady with little effort. "And, we are going to get you help, okay?"

I nodded at him, distractedly, and let myself be hauled up and led out. I was bleeding? When did I start bleeding?

"Now, I just have to figure out where to take you…"I heard Embry mutter, but was unable to really see anything between the black dots dancing across my eyes and the water pouring out of them. "I'd take you to Emily, but this was supposed to be Sam and Emily's day alone…"

I immediately jerked my head, "Neu, neu emlee, neu emlee!"

Embry placed a fiery hot hand on my head, "Okay, okay, I won't take you to Emily, promise."

I let out a satisfied hum, before letting myself drift back into the pain. More water poured out of my eyes. It wouldn't stop.

I felt the hood of my sweatshirt tugged over my head. A door closed behind us. The roar of pounding rain muffled Embry's reassurances. We must be outside.

"I guess I could take you to Billy, he'd be the most reliable right now…" Embry thought aloud, rushing me over to the side of his old truck. In what I could have sworn were simply seconds, I was buckled in, and Embry was at my side attempting to start the car.

After a few tries and prayers on his part, the car roared to life, and then everything got real fuzzy.

"Alexis, come on now, stay awake, okay?" Embry shook my shoulder roughly, voice laced with worry and panic. Why was he panicking? Nothing was wrong. I had gotten nose bleeds before; it wasn't that big of a deal.

"Alexis, promise you'll stay awake, okay? Come on, promise," he insisted, and I was tempted to yell at him to pay attention to the road. He was already a bad enough driver as is. But I felt drained of energy, and could only nod obediently at his command.

"No! No drifting off!" His shout jerked me up from my slumped over position against the door. "You promised, remember. No sleeping allowed, we're almost there, I promise."

Okay, so Embry was officially freaking out. I didn't see what the big deal was; I had gotten hit in the nose with a soccer ball plenty of times. It was nothing a simple bag of ice wouldn't fix.

I would look back on the situation and think differently.

"We're here, okay? Just hang tight." He shook my shoulder for good measure before darting out of the car.

I heard him yelling, screaming 'Billy' at the top of his lungs as he ran around to my side of the car. Before I was able to process what was happening, I had been plucked from the car and carried to the door of the house, which Embry was now banging on hard enough to knock down.

I winced laying my head on his shoulder. The loud noise hurt.

"Embry? What are you-who is this? What happened?" I vaguely heard a deep, raspy voice ask, but everything was getting fuzzier. It felt as if I had dunked my head underwater.

"Here, here, put her down. The first aid kit is in the bathroom, the one by Jacob's room."

A pair of hands gently held my face. I winced at their contact. "Shh, everything will be fine; you're alright now," a voice soothed me.

I tried to calm down, but my mind was a whirling jumble.

"I got the kit, what do you need?" That had to be Embry, right? I couldn't even bring myself to make sure.

"Well, she's going to need something for that cut on her nose. I don't think its deep enough to need stitches…" the voice trailed off, and my head was titled back gently. "Hand me the butterfly bandages, they should do. I need the rubbing alcohol and Neosporin and grab an ice pack, will you? Poor girl is going to have such a headache."

"You don't think she has a concussion, do you?"

"Possibly, but if it is, it's only a minor one. You have a lot of explaining to do, once we get this young lady patched up, Embry Call."

"Yes, sir."

I vaguely heard the sounds of what had to have been Embry scrambling around, but my attention was drifting in and out.

"Alexis?" I weakly acknowledged my name with a hum. "I'm going to be asking you some questions, while putting these bandages on you, okay? Is that alright?"

I inclined my head slightly.

"Good, just hold still for me, okay?" A hand tilted my face a little to left. "So, you live down in Forks?" I nodded. "You're new in town, aren't you?" I nodded. "Thought so, I would remember a face like yours. Move here with your mother and father?" I shook my head. "By yourself?" I shook my head. "Just your mother?" I nodded.

"How's she doing?" Embry was back.

"Fine, fine," the gentle voice responded. "Alexis?" I hummed. "This will sting a little bit, so you might want something to squeeze, okay?" I hummed. "Give her your hand, Embry."

It immediately felt as if my hand was enveloped by a burning warmth. Seconds passed, and I didn't feel a thing. I began to think crazy thoughts. Was it possible to paralyze your nose? Was that why I couldn't feel anything? Would that even be that big of a loss anyway?

And then the pain came, the horrible, sharp, stinging pain that every kid remembers from their childhood. It was the pain you got from that time you fell on the playground, and your mom whipped out that horrible brown bottle. It was the sting of the liquid of Satan, hydrogen peroxide.

I didn't make a sound; instead, I focused all of my pain on Embry's hand. Despite as sadistic as it might sound, I was going to make him feel as much of my pain as possible, because, in reality, all of this was his fault. If he had simply left my Cocoa Puffs alone, none of this would have ever happened!

Stupid Embry.

The stinging eventually faded, but I held onto Embry's hand for good measure until I was completely sure it had passed. I couldn't even describe the satisfaction I got at the noise of discomfort Embry made when I released his hand.

"Serves you right," the deep, gravelly voice told him. I mentally cheered; whoever he was, he was certainly on my side.

"Now Alexis I'm going to put on the bandages now. This may hurt a little when I squeeze the cut together."

I hummed to show I understood. "Here goes," he muttered. I twitched, feeling slight discomfort, but nothing major.

"All done," I felt someone pat my hand reassuringly. "Now all you need is an ice pack and some aspirin for the killer headache you should be getting anytime now."

I nodded, somehow comforted by this knowledge. I liked to be informed.

"Why don't you move her to the couch, Embry? She'll be more comfortable there."

"Good idea," Embry agreed, and, before I could protest, hoisted me up. I let out a whimper at the sharp throb of my head.

"Easy now, Embry, she's a little shaken."

I was settled gently on to a rough sofa, worn and, from the smell, old. But it was heaven to me at that moment. Embry propped my head up with a pillow and gently placed a cold weight on my face. One of his burning hands guided one of my own to hold what I assumed to be the ice pack in place.

"If you think you'll be okay by yourself for a few moments, Alexis, I would like to have a word with Embry," the gentle and raspy voice asked.

I gave a thumbs up with my free hand. I heard a chuckle and smiled to myself. This whole fiasco was getting a little too serious for my liking.

And just like that I was left all alone in some random person's living room.

Funny how a day never seems to turn out like you expected.

I drifted off to the thought of how my mother would react to this whole thing.

That could get ugly…

* * *

><p>"Alexis? Alexis," a soft voice and warm hand gently nudged me awake.<p>

I turned over, trying to escape whoever was trying to make me leave my dreams. "Nghh…." I moaned, Alexis-speak for 'leave me the hell alone'.

"Come on, Alexis. You've been asleep for more than an hour now. It's nearly two."

I finally gave in and blearily opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was Embry's concerned face. "What died?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Your face," he replied, but without the teasing edge my voice had held. In fact, he was beginning to look a little angry.

"Look, I'm really sorry," I began, afraid I might lose my only friend over something so stupid. "I was an idiot, trying to tackle you. You're like four times my size. I had just figured that since you were distracted, it would be easier to take you down, but clearly that backfired and I-"

A burning hand cut off my words.

"Look, you have nothing to be sorry for, I should have known better. I should have tried to avoid you, or dodge, or something." He ran a hand roughly through his hair. "I'm just so used to messing around with the guys; I guess I just reacted-"

It was my turn to cut him off.

"Let's just agree we were both retards and leave it at that, deal?" I stuck out my hand, which he shook with his ridiculously hot one, after some hesitation. "Now, let's forget this ever happened." I declared.

Embry didn't respond. He just glared holes into the carpet. I rolled my eyes. He was such a drama-queen.

"Embry, what did that carpet ever do to you?" I teased, nudging him in the ribs to get his attention.

"Huh?" he looked confused.

"Embry, we agreed we were both retards, right? So, you don't get to take any self-righteous trips of self-hate without me, okay?" I joked, smiling up at him as brightly as I could.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied with his own weak smile. It was start, at least.

"Oh, so sleeping beauty finally woke up?" a resonant voice asked.

I turned to see a much older, wheelchair bound man. Creases ran through his russet skin like an old leather jacket and were only amplified by the warm smile crinkling his face. Black eyes stared out at me that at the same time seemed both too young and too ancient for the broad face they were set it. He carried a powerful presence; he was someone impossible to ignore or forget. For a moment I was star struck. I felt unimportant and small next to someone so, _so _something, great, important, wise, all of the above, whichever.

"Oh, Alexis." Embry jumped to make introductions. "This is Billy Black. He's one of my best friend's dads, and one of the tribe's council members."

I didn't really know what that meant, but I got the impression that he must be someone pretty important around here.

I stood and made my way over to him. "Nice to meet you, sir. I'm Alexis Cunningham." I stuck out my hand for him to shake. However, he surprised me by taking my hand in both of his and cradling it firmly between his own leathery ones.

"It's a pleasure, Alexis."

I flushed a little at the attention. "I can't even begin to thank you for helping me out earlier, sir. If there's anything you need, cooking, cleaning, delivering, I'm your girl, Mr. Black."

He smiled up at me patting my hand. "That's not necessary, Alexis. I was just happy to help you and Embry out. The boy was nearly hysterical when he brought you in."

I stole a look at Embry, who had turned bright red. "I was _not _hysterical."

Billy sent me a knowing wink, before releasing my hand and turning towards the kitchen. "How about you start with simply calling me Billy?"

"I think I can handle that."

"Oh, and the bathroom is down the hall to the left, Alexis," he called back. I nodded, though he couldn't see it, trying to figure out how he knew what I was going to ask. It must be an old wise man thing.

"I'll be right back," I told Embry, darting off down the hallway. I missed his wince.

I found the bathroom easily enough; the Black's house was anything but large. Shuffling in, I mentally prepared myself for what I would see.

I definitely failed in that respect.

I gasped loudly, clutching the sink for support.

My mom was going to absolutely _freak._

"Alexis?" Embry's worried voice floated in from the other side of the door. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just thought I saw a bug." The lie was a lame one, and we both knew it.

"You know I'm really sorry, right?"

I was tempted to hit the door. "I swear, Embry Call, if you apologize one more time, I will give you your own black eye, so we can match!"

I was awarded with a chuckle. "I'd like to see you try. We both saw how your last attack ended." The bitter edge to his voice unnerved me. "You'd probably break something in your next attempt."

"If I can't do it, Embry, I sure as hell will find someone who can!" I threatened. "Now go make yourself useful and help Mr. Black or something. You're not doing anything productive by stalking me in the bathroom. In fact, I'm a little creeped out," I teased.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," he muttered. I waited until I couldn't hear his footsteps anymore before I turned back to the mirror.

I winced at my reflection.

It was far worse than I expected.

I had an inch long cut running across the bridge of my nose. It was held together with two stark white butterfly bandages. The cut wasn't really that bad. It would heal in a week or so and probably wouldn't even scar. The rest of my nose and face was a different story. The swelling had clearly gone down, but the area around the cut was already turning green. I gingerly fingered it. Yup, definitely still hurts.

Yet, it was my eye that probably looked the worst. A large purple bruise had already begun to swallow my left eye, officially making me look like a victim of domestic violence. Either that or I had just gotten my ass handed to me in a fist fight. I'm not sure which one I preferred.

My mom was going to absolutely kill me. Right after she finished burying Embry's body, of course.

I groaned into my hands. Maybe it wasn't _so_ bad; I tried to reason with myself. If I washed some of the blood off my face, I'm sure I would look better.

I quickly set about that task, taking extra care to avoid getting water on my bandages. I didn't want Mr. Black's work to go to waste. I padded my face dry with a nearby towel.

I peered critically into the mirror. It was definitely an improvement over before. I winced. It still wasn't quite good enough to escape the wrath of my mother.

Though with a bit of concealer and maybe some foundation, I'm sure I could make this practically invisible, I reassured myself.

"Embry!" a loud voice bellowed into the house. That definitely wasn't Mr. Black. "Embry, you here?"

I picked up on a couple of loud thumps, before the house seemed to go silent again. I decided that now was as good a time as ever to see what was going on.

I tipped toed down the hallway, for reasons beyond me. I peeked into the living room, only to find it empty. My ears caught onto a murmur of low voices, which I followed into what I assumed to be the kitchen.

Standing with his back to me was another huge male. Though shorter and stockier than Embry, this guy would easily tower over me. It was odd how out of place the two looked in the Black's tiny, floral kitchen.

The conversation went silent when Embry caught sight of me in the threshold. Oh, great, as if I didn't feel awkward enough before.

The newcomer spun around. It was eerie how similar he looked to Embry at first glance. But the differences between them were obvious once I looked close enough. He had a burly built, a buzz cut, and an impish grin, which was instantly wiped away at the sight of me.

"Holy shit, Embry, is this her?"

"No, she's the _other_ girl I gave a black eye to," Embry replied with bitter sarcasm.

"Hold up, I thought we had made it clear: no one gave anyone a black eye," I said heatedly. "I was the retard who tried to tackle you. If anything, I gave myself a black eye. I simply used you to do it," I finished smugly, crossing my arms, as if the argument was over and won. Which it was, as far as I was concerned.

The new guy let out a bark of a laugh. "I like her! She's got a lot of spark for someone so tiny!"

I waved my hands. "Um, hello? I'm still here, and just because I'm short does not mean I'm deaf too. Plus, I'm really not short. You both are just freakishly tall," I declared.

"Oh, really?" the new guy taunted, his impish grin back in place.

"Yes,_ really_," I responded. "It's got to be something in the water…" I muttered, but they all seemed to have caught it.

The burly guy let out another booming laugh, "Something in the water, indeed."

I noticed Embry and Mr. Black send him a warning look. What was that about…?

"I'm Quil Ateara, by the way," he grinned, sticking out his hand. I grabbed it and was somehow unfazed by its burning heat. It's a Quileute thing, I thought robotically.

So, this was Embry's friend who he had bitched about, the one that ditched him for Claire, was it?

The day was getting more and more exciting by the second.

* * *

><p>"Ready to do some damage control?" I told Embry with a grimace. His face was oddly pale as he nodded solemnly.<p>

I took a deep breath and slowly pulled open the front door. I flinched at the squishing noise my shoes made on the stone floor.

"Alexis, is that you?" I winced at the panic in her voice.

"Yeah, it's me, mom."

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" she cried, marching out of the kitchen. I was immediately thankful that I had pulled my hood up. "I come home and there are Cocoa Puffs all over the living room, blood on the carpet, and absolutely no sign of you!" She was breathing heavily now.

I felt Embry shift behind me. I mentally scoffed at the idea of him trying to hide behind me.

"And then I find your purse and your cell phone left behind, and your comforter lying on the couch! God, Alexis, I didn't know what to think! I was about ready to call the police!"

I let her words wash over me. I knew better than to interrupt my mother when she ranted. It was better to just let her get it all out of her system first before I tried to explain and inevitably make a fool of myself.

"I actually drove around town to see if maybe you had gone there for some ungodly reason! Chief Swan finally noticed me doing laps and bought me coffee to calm me down! He explained to me that I couldn't actually file a missing persons report unless you had been missing for twenty-four hours! Do you know how much could happen to you in twenty four hours?" She cried, sounding hysterical and bitter. "Well, I certainly do because I just spent the last four hours imagining it! What were you thinking, Alexis?"

I flinched. I was officially screwed. "Look, mom, just calm down for a second-"

"Do _not _tell me to calm down, Alexis Nicole!" my mother hissed.

"Okay, okay," I practically whimpered, waving my hands. "I have an explanation."

"It better be a _damn_ good one."

I flinched again.

"Just promise you won't freak out too bad, okay?" I pleaded, reaching up to pull back the hood of my sweatshirt.

"I'm getting impatient, Alexis." Her stance was hostile, arms on her hips and legs braced, as if she was ready to pounce.

I closed my eyes and tugged on the fabric.

I heard a loud gasp, "What did you do to my baby?"

My mother rushed forward, and Embry dodged behind me, using me as a human shield.

"It's not like that ma'am-"

"Do not _ma'am_ me! I trusted you with my baby, and she comes home with a black eye!" my mother screeched.

If I hadn't been trying to hold back my mother from thrashing Embry, I think I would have melted into a puddle of liquid mortification.

"Mom, it wasn't his fault! I was stupid and tried to tackle him!" I shouted over her yells. "If anything, you should be thanking him for taking me to a doctor down at La Push!"

Okay, so that last one was a lie, but I was desperate. Plus, Billy could kind of count as a sort of medicine man, anyway, right?

I let out a breath when I saw her still. Her dark eyes peered at me, suspiciously. "So, this is all _your_ fault, then?"

I gulped. Maybe I should not have cleared Embry of guilt so fast.

"Well, actually, ma'am, it was sort of my fault too. I, uh," he rubbed his neck, stuttering slightly, "stole her Cocoa Puffs. So, I, uh, technically provoked her, uh, attack."

Wow, that definitely sounded ten times more ridiculous when said aloud.

My mother gave us both a hard, steely look. I could feel Embry tremble a little behind me. I reflexively grabbed hold of his burning hand. He squeezed back in response.

And then my mother collapsed into a fit of hysterical laughter.

Embry and I traded worried glances.

"Um, mom, are you feeling okay? Do you want to sit down?"

My mom waved off my concern and made an effort to collect herself. "Its' just," she choked out, "only you would have such an absolutely ridiculous story."

I flushed with indignation. "Well, it's the truth."

She laughed even harder at that. "Oh, I know it's the truth. I know you well enough to know you could have come up with a hell of a more believable lie than that."

Embry's hand shook in my own. I glanced back to see him shaking with silent laughter. I sent him a glare. Whose side was he on?

"You have to admit," he said, full of mirth, "she has a point."

I let the glare slide off my face and joined the two.

However, abruptly, my mother's laughter cut off. Embry and I tensed.

"Don't think you're not still in trouble, missy," she threatened. "If you're well enough to be laughing, you're well enough to clean up the mess in the living room."

"You haven't already done that already?" I asked, perplexed.

My mother whipped around. "I am not your maid, Alexis Nicole, and you would do good to remember that."

"Right," I cowered back. "I'll get right on it."

"Oh, and Embry," she turned to him, using a sickly sweet voice.

"Yes, ma'am," he responded, quickly, straightening up.

"It would be nice of you to stay and help her, since it was _partially_ your fault." The underlying threat was clear.

"Of course, ma'am," he stuttered out under my mother's beady stare.

"Well, the vacuum and cleaning supplies are already out there, so get to it." She disappeared into the back of the house.

Embry and I sat in tense silence for a few moments, and I wondered vaguely if she had planned the entire thing.

"If I was a lesser man, I might have actually pissed my pants."

"You wouldn't have been the first."

* * *

><p>Hours later, I walked Embry to the door. It was already dark out.<p>

Mom had graciously invited him to dinner, only after we cleaned up the mess in the living room, of course. Blood is a _bitch_ to get out of carpet, by the way.

Though, the highlight of that little adventure had to be the look on my mom's face when Embry got up for fifths. In his defense, she did tell him to take as much as he wanted. I had been just as surprised, though. I simply couldn't figure out where he put it all. It was obvious that there wasn't an ounce of fat on his body.

I had asked him about it and got the vague reply of "I like to run." Yeah, like _running_ had created that body.

"Thanks for, well, everything today," I told him a little awkwardly; it had been the epitome of an out-of-the-ordinary day.

"Yeah, well I try," he grinned back. His expression darkened, as his eyes brushed over my face. "I really am sorry about that," he said, voice husky. He reached down and brushed a curl out of my face and moved to touch the bruise. I gripped onto his wrist before he was able to make contact.

His dark brown eyes locked with mine. "I told you I'd find someone to beat you up if you apologized again," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

His mouth curled at the corners. "Yeah, good luck with that."

"Oh, I think Quil would be up for the job, don't you?" I grinned when his eyes widened. That certainly got his attention.

He scoffed. "I could take Quil."

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" I taunted back, pushing him out the door. "Now get going, your parents are probably wondering where you are."

He stiffened a little. "Just mom."

I caught on quickly to the underlying message. "Well, if your mom is anything like mine, she must be flipping out. It's nearly ten."

"Yeah, yeah, I can tell when I'm not wanted," he muttered, shuffling down the steps. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay? We're going to see what the weather is like before we make any plans," he told me, grinning wolfishly. "I don't want to have a repeat of this morning."

My hand twitched, wanting to wipe the cheeky grin right of his face.

"Get out of here, Call!" I shouted.

"I'm going," he called back. "So pushy…"

I rolled my eyes and made to close the door, but his shout stopped me. "Don't forget to ask your mom about Billy's this Sunday!"

Right, I got to remember that. I waved and closed the door, thinking back to that conversation.

"_Break it up you two," Billy told us, cutting off Quil and I's heated debate. "Embry, you better be getting this young lady home. Her mother's probably worried."_

_I reluctantly stood up and moved my glare from Quil. I'm sorry, but it was simply an undisputed fact that mini M&Ms were far better than regular ones, especially peanut ones. Quil was simply living a life of delusion. I pitied him, really. _

_Quil and I shook hands, tensely. We agreed to disagree until next time._

_I redirected my attention to Mr. Black. "I was being serious earlier, Mr-Billy. If there's anything I can do to repay you, just let me know. I'm surprisingly good at manual labor." _

_He seemed to ponder this a moment, while ushering us towards the door. "How do you feel about college basketball?" _

_I instantly lit up. "Absolutely love it!" I reddened at my loud exclamation. "I mean, I rather be playing, but I used to watch games with my friends back home all the time. During March Madness, we pretty much locked ourselves in the house with the largest TV." _

"_Perfect. Well, my usual company has abandoned me this Sunday, so why don't you and Embry come over and join me? Consider it repaying your debt," he said in his booming voice, grinning warmly at the two of us. _

"_Sure, that sounds great!" I paused and looked over at Embry. "Eh, is that cool, Embry?" _

"_Yeah, we'll be there, Billy." _

"_Good, good, why don't you ask Seth if he wants to join us too? He used to enjoy coming over with Harry, sometimes." Embry promised he'd mention it to him. "And you're welcome to come too, Quil," Billy called back into the house. _

"_I'll see," came the muffled response. "I think I might be babysitting Claire that afternoon..." _

_Both Billy and Embry rolled their eyes. _

"_Well, then, I'll see you two Sunday." _

Now I just had to figure out how to broach the topic with my mother…

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and has followed this story! You don't go unnoticed!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

* * *

><p>I woke up Sunday to gray skies and a light drizzle.<p>

It was disorienting. The week had flown by too fast with non-stop activity.

Thursday, the rain had lightened up and the sun had made a short appearance, making it the perfect day for our exploration of Port Angeles. The town was far livelier than Forks, though that didn't take much. That morning and most of the afternoon had been spent fooling around in some of the local shops, and that night eating dinner at some small Italian place, finishing off the day with a late night movie. Yeah, it had a movie theater. I nearly cried in happiness.

Friday the good weather persisted, so Embry took me hiking around La Push. However, the trip degenerated by noon to another day of messing around on First Beach, though I did get to check out the tide pools, which were wicked cool.

Saturday, the weather turned against us, so Embry declared it 'movie day' at my house. After digging through what felt like hundreds of boxes, we finally uncovered my DVD stash. The day was wasted lounging on the couch and fattening ourselves with junk food like true teenagers.

And, so, it seemed as if Sunday had come too soon. It felt odd to return to the Black's when it felt like just yesterday I had been sitting in the tiny living room bleeding everywhere.

Speaking of my injury, I glanced at the mirror above my dresser and winced. The bruise had definitely darkened to a deep purple around my eye. But on a bright note, the bruise on my nose had already started fading to a sick green color. I checked the clock. I still had enough time to put on some concealer before Embry got here.

The doorbell rang.

Or not.

Of course, Embry had to be early today of all days. The front door opened, and I heard the sounds of my mother greeting Embry, as I rushed into the bathroom. I felt a stab of pity for leaving him alone with her, but then remembered _he_ was the one who had felt the need to be early.

After doing a poor job of blending in the makeup, I made my way down stairs, trying, and failing, to appear less rushed than I really was.

I found Embry and my mother in the kitchen, talking cheerfully about how I seemed to have a disease that prevented me from ever being on time.

Ignoring the jabs, I grabbed Embry by the arm and pulled him towards the front door. An action, I realized, was only accomplished with his backing. It was painfully obvious that if he had wanted, I could have pulled and pushed till next Christmas, and he wouldn't have even budged an inch.

"I'll have her home before nine, Mrs. Cunningham," he called back.

"Oh, you're such a sweetheart, Embry," she cooed. "Just have her home whenever works best for you. I appreciate you busing her lazy butt around."

I slammed the door behind us before she could get in another word. I threw a glare at Embry.

"What?" he asked, hands raised. "It's not my fault she loves me."

I rolled my eyes. "You have got to be the world's biggest suck up."

"You're just jealous she loves me more than you," he shot back, squeezing into the now familiar, rusty black truck.

I climbed in after him, sliding awkwardly over the slippery, worn leather that seemed to be molded to an entirely different butt shape than my own.

The car ride was spent with Embry chatting away.

"Did I tell you that Seth was going to be there?"

Only about four times.

"He's a really good guy; one of the nicest, most honest people you'll probably ever meet."

My eyebrows shot up. "Really?" I couldn't help but add in surprise. I had discovered Embry did not give out compliments lightly, so, for him to speak so highly of someone, meant that the kid must be a bloody saint.

"Trust me, I would know," he mumbled, more to himself.

I nodded for lack of a better response.

"So he's our age?" I inquired, more to fill the silence than my own curiosity.

Embry paused for a moment. "Well, actually, he's fourteen."

"Oh," I said, surprised, "cool. So, are all of the kids down at the reservation pretty tight, then?"

Embry faltered. "Well, some of us are."

"Right," I commented, suspicion leaking into my voice. He was acting a little off today.

"We're here!" Embry cried, already outside of the car before I even noticed we had stopped.

He had made it to the front door by the time I managed to untangle myself from the seat belt and roll out of the truck.

"Hey, Billy! We're here!" He disappeared into the house, leaving me outside.

I raised an eyebrow. What the hell was that? Did I say something wrong? I thought back to the conversation. Everything I had said had been pretty normal. I shrugged. Teenage boys were weird.

I shuffled into the house, taking off my coat on the way.

"I suppose it would be a waste of breath to ask who you are rooting for," an amused voice sounded somewhere off to my left.

I blushed and looked down. I had dug through some boxes last night to unearth my ancient Duke basketball jersey that had once been my dad's. It was five sizes too large and hit me around mid-thigh, making me resemble a little kid trying to wear their parent's clothes. Which was exactly what I was doing, but that was beside the point.

"My dad made sure I was a die-hard Duke fan before I could even talk," I explained, adding, "It's good to see you again, Billy."

"Likewise." The older man smiled up at me warmly. "Now, let's make sure you get some food before these wolves eat it all."

Billy rolled himself into a room off to the side, which I remembered to be the Black's tiny kitchen. Three lumbering figures stood around a table literally overflowing with food. I watched with a bit of disgust as they tried to cram as much junk food onto their tiny Styrofoam plates as physics would allow.

"Leave some for Alexis, boys," Billy commanded, voice easily able to overcome the noise they were making.

One of the figures tore themselves from the table and turned to face me.

I almost mistook him for Embry at first glance. He had matching cropped black hair and dark russet skin, but this boy was tall and gangly, and his muscles weren't nearly as prominent as the other two.

"So, you're Alexis, right?" His face was lit up by a huge, happy grin. Embry was right, the boy practically radiated honesty and sincerity.

"Yeah," I said with my own openly warm smile. His attitude was contagious. "You must be Seth, then."

He shook my hand enthusiastically. "Yup," he chirped, excited that I knew of him.

His face became suddenly serious, as his happy brown eyes squinted down at me. "The bruise isn't really that bad, anymore. Does it still hurt?" he asked with surprising concern. The comment attracted the attention of Embry and Billy.

My cheeks flushed red. "Eh, no it doesn't really hurt that much. And I made it look a little better with makeup. It's a miracle worker," I rushed out.

He hummed still squinting down at the bruise.

"You aren't seriously fourteen, are you?" I spat out, desperate to get the attention off of me. I immediately wanted to kick myself. Well that wasn't rude at all. At this rate, I was officially becoming an _expert_ on how _not_ to make friends.

But Seth just laughed warmly and sent me another beaming smile. "Yup, the size runs in my family."

"You and the rest of La Push," I muttered, but apparently not quietly enough.

All three boys began to laugh. "I thought I already explained this, Alexis. It's a Quileute thing," Embry said, mockingly, appearing beside me with a plate full of food.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it now," I grumbled, shrugging his arm off.

"The game is about to start, kids," Billy called from living room. I raced to grab a plate and shove it full of anything I could get my hands on. I was not going to miss this game.

A large russet hand reached for the bag of Doritos as I grabbed hold of the opposite end. I lifted my eyes to glare into a pair of dark brown one's.

"Give it up, Quil," I hissed tugging.

Okay, so I was still holding a grudge about the M&M thing. Mini's were simply delicious. End of story. Not my fault Quil was ignorant and close minded.

His eyes narrowed. "I'd like to see you try and take them."

So much for our truce.

"The toss up is about to start, Alexis," Embry shouted from the other room.

Over my dead body was I going to miss the toss up. Everyone knew that the toss up was basketball's superstitious barometer for who would win. But like hell was I going to give in to Quil and his freakish appetite.

"Quil, you already have the entire bag of Lays on your plate. You don't need these Doritos," I explained slowly, as if I were dealing with a child.

"Actually, I think I really do. Now, if you would just kindly let go…" he responded, with a confident smirk and sharp tug of the bag.

Thinking fast, I did the first thing that came to my mind. "Oh my god, a bear!" I cried, pointing at the window, face twisted in shock. Quil tensed and spun. I tugged at the bag with all of my strength.

It definitely did not go according to plan.

See, when Quil turned, he actually didn't let go of the bag, so when I tried to tear the bag away, it exploded.

End result: Doritos rained down from the ceiling of Billy's kitchen.

My mouth dropped open. Orange chips were everywhere. Quil turned, and we stared at each other in horror.

"This is _so_ your fault!" he shouted, finger pointed accusingly.

I came back to my senses instantly. "What!? No, it's not! This is completely your fault! If you had just let me have the bag-"

"If you had just given _me _the bag, then none of this would have even happened!"

"What are you both screaming abou-?" Embry froze when he caught sight of the kitchen. "What the hell happened?"

"It's his fault!"

"It's her fault!"

"Uh-huh, I'm sure," he said, skeptically, eyeing the two halves of the red Doritos bag we both gripped.

We both rushed to explain our side of the story, which deteriorated to a shouting match to drown out the other's voice.

Seth and Billy appeared in the threshold.

The boy made a noise of awe. "I didn't know Doritos could stick to the ceiling."

Billy simply sighed. "I'll find the broom."

* * *

><p>"Are you kidding me?! What kind of pass was that?!" I cried.<p>

Quil and I had finally been allowed to rejoin the others after scrubbing the kitchen clean of the mess. Of course, it wouldn't have taken that long, if we hadn't begun arguing half way through and started a food fight.

In my defense, I didn't throw the first chip, _technically_.

"What was that?! What kind of professional player misses _two_ free-throws?! I could have made those blindfolded!" I leaped up from my position on the couch. Michigan State was losing by 20 points to NC State. Freakin' _NC State_. This was _not_ happening. I was not going to let Embry win our bet! Honestly, I didn't even have twenty dollars on me, and I had blown my allowance when we went to Port Angeles.

I didn't even realize I had been pacing until a hand shot out and yanked me back onto the couch.

"You do know they can't hear you, right Lex?" Embry mocked.

I huffed and sank back into the couch. I risked a glance around the room and found everyone's eyes locked on me and dancing in amusement. I flushed and immediately wished the couch would swallow me whole.

"I, uh, get a little excited during these games," I explained, weakly.

The three boys snickered, but Billy just sent me a warm smile and turned back to the game.

I followed his example after poking Embry and Seth in the ribs, an action that I think hurt me more than them. What were these boys made of anyway?

"I'll just leave my number here on the counter, Billy."

"Now, Alexis, that really isn't necessary. I can take care of myself," Billy argued, trailing behind me into the kitchen.

I waved him off. "I know, but just in case you ever get bored or feel like some greasy fast food, I'll be your girl," I told him, grinning. I scrawled my home and cell phone down on the pad next to the Black's phone, feeling distinctly proud of myself.

Embry was waiting for me by the front door with my jacket in hand when I bounced out of the kitchen. His large smirk drained the excitement out of me instantly.

"So, about those twenty dollars…"

I ignored him and snatched at my jacket.

"Hey, don't think you're going to go back on it! You shook hands! I have three witnesses!"

I continued to ignore him, as I turned back to Billy. "We'll see you Thursday, Billy. I'll try to bring some food to make up for the mess earlier."

He waved his hand, dismissingly. "I count a small mess as the only casualty after a night with these boys a blessing," he said, laughing with his booming voice. "But food is always welcomed."

"I'll remember that," I said, chuckling with him.

My world suddenly tilted, and I was crushed in a burning hold.

"Seth," I gasped. "I can't breathe."

I was instantly dropped. Seth looked down at me sheepishly. "Promise to visit La Push soon, okay?"

I nodded eager to please the absolute saint of a boy. "It all really depends on if Embry's willing to drag me up here, though."

The two boys traded looks over my head. My eyes flickered between them.

"Hey, how come Seth got a hug and I didn't?!" Quil whined loudly. I rolled my eyes and held out my arms. I was swept up into another fiery embrace and then quickly dropped back onto earth. Hugs with these guys were very disorienting.

I waved a final goodbye and trudged after Embry out the door.

"Alexis, you promised," Embry complained, facing me as he walked backwards. I immediately checked to see if there was anything he could trip on and was disappointed when the path was clear.

I glanced back up and regretted it immediately. He was giving the puppy dog eyes.

I sighed. "I know. I just don't have the money right now. How about we back it with an IOU?" I asked hopefully. His eyes narrowed; he didn't trust me. "You want me to sign my name in blood or something?" I said, irritated.

His eyes lit up. "Sure that would work."

I rolled my eyes and climbed into the car. I waited for him to walk around before responding. "I'm not signing my name in blood."

"But you said-" I gave him with a dry look. "Fine, but you better keep up your end of the bargain!"

"Sure, sure," I responded, flippantly, focusing my attention on the side mirror. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Embry tense and his knuckles tighten around the steering wheel.

"Are you okay?" I asked, worried something was wrong.

He snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, yeah, good, fine, yeah."

I sent him a suspicious look, but turned back to the house to see Billy in the threshold of the door, seeing Quil and Seth out.

He remained in the doorway long after the two had disappeared into the woods. I watched his silhouette in the side mirror, as we turned out of the house.

"He seems so lonely," I said softly without thinking. Embry's eyes flickered over to the rearview mirror. "Doesn't he have any kids?"

"Three actually."

"Three?! Where are all of them?" I asked, shocked. How could they just leave their handicapped father to fend for himself?

"Well, the twins have been doing their own thing for awhile, now. Rachael's a full time college student at Washington University, and Rebecca married a surfer and lives in Hawaii. Both are caught up with their own lives."

I nodded, absentmindedly, still not happy with the excuses. "And what about your friend, Jacob? Where is he?"

Embry stiffened at the name. His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. "He's…sorting himself out."

I watched him with narrowed eyes. His face was twisted as if he were in pain. "And people do that sort of thing in Canada?"

He sent me a sharp glare. I flinched and immediately wished I had just kept my mouth shut. The air in the car became tense.

"I'm sorry, it's really none of my business," I conceded in a strained whisper. I saw out of the corner of my eye Embry's grip loosen.

"Look, it's just really complicated. When he found out she was marrying the-" he cut himself off, looking angrily out at the road, as if it were too painful to even form the words. His hands trembled on the wheel.

"He left over a girl?!" I cried, appalled.

Embry winced. "It was much more complicated than that, see-"

"He left his handicapped father all alone after being rejected by a girl?!" I was almost shouting now.

Embry sent me an irritated look. "Just trust me when I say it was a lot more than that."

I huffed and crossed my arms. "No girl is worth causing the people who really love you pain," I declared, firmly.

"This was more than just rejection!" Embry defended. "She gave up everything for that _thing_!" he spat.

"Which makes it okay for Jacob to do the same?" I hissed back.

Embry slammed on the brakes. I went flying forward only to be jerked back by my seat belt. I looked over to see him shaking.

Eyes wide, I watched him take deep gulps of air, almost as if he were struggling to control himself. Tense minutes passed in which I was too afraid to speak.

Finally Embry breathed out, "I shouldn't be taking this out on you."

Oh, so now he was sorry after nearly cutting me in half with my seatbelt?

I glanced out the window. I had to apologize. I couldn't afford to lose my only friend in Forks. Man, I was pathetic.

I took a deep breath and swallowed my pride. "I shouldn't either. He was your friend, and he hurt you. I know how that feels. But I don't have the right to judge him over something I know nothing about."

I watched Embry stare at me in the reflection in the window. It held a burning intensity, as if he was really seeing me for the first time. Being a coward, I refused to make eye contact.

"We seem to have a knack for screwing up together," he told me flatly, voice emotionless. I risked a glance. He stared stoically out at the road before us.

I faced forward as well. "See, told you we're perfect for each other." My voice held a grim edge I couldn't hide.

The ride was spent in silence, both of us too caught up with our own thoughts to really pay the other much attention.

I knew something was off with Embry now, and it had something to do with this Jacob Black kid. Whatever it was, it was causing Embry emotional and physical pain, and as my only friend in all of Washington, I made it my self-appointed duty to fix this for him. It was the least I could do, right?

I climbed out of the truck, and we traded weak goodbyes.

As I stood on the curb, watching Embry drive away, I thought back to look on his face as he shook.

I decided then I was going to make it better.

Whatever it was, I would fix it.


End file.
